


Cover Songs

by hgleiser



Series: Wrong Direction [6]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, M/M, Matchmaking, Musicians, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 12:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6753055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hgleiser/pseuds/hgleiser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phase two of Wrong Direction's matchmaking plan works better than anyone--even Mark and Fernando--expected.  Rated teen for some swearing and hopelessly romantic cliches.  </p><p>Huge chunks of championship silverware to L. and K. for the beta when I wrote/insane amounts of sexy Seb and Nano pictures when I didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cover Songs

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for this one taking a little longer than my preferred 7-10 days between updates, guys, I came down with a bad cold that wore me out for a week. Kudos and comments always appreciated.

"You planned phase two without me? JB, I thought we were best mates!" Lewis crossed two fingers on his right hand. "We've been like this since we started!"

Jenson patted Lewis on the back. "Mate, we still _are,_ but you and Nico had phase one. This is me and Seb's bit."

"Is it now?" Seeing Nico chewing on his lower lip to keep himself quiet, Lewis gladly took on the role of "annoying best mate prone to acts such as tricking his friends into being under the mistletoe together at Christmas". "Are you two...you know...in the future?"

The response from Sebastian and Jenson was instant. "No!"

"Bullshit," mumbled Kimi.

Nico nodded in agreement. "No doesn't mean no when your hand is on his waist, Seb."

"He can put his hand wherever he wants, thank you." Jenson's face quickly became the same vibrant shade of red as Sebastian's Ferrari jacket. "That...that was weird, wasn't it? Definitely weird."

Sebastian smiled up at him with what Nico knew very well was puppy love. After all, he'd seen it on his own face in a dressing room mirror next to Lewis more than he cared to admit.  _Hearts in your eyes and a goofy smile on your face,_ he thought.  _You're done for, Seb. Just like I am._

"No more than usual." Lewis propped his elbow on Nico's shoulder and cradled his head in his hand, watching him scroll through page after page of results. "Any luck?"

"First night in New York and I'm being put up to finding cheap takeout. At least the champagne took some thinking, though it was hard to guess since I didn't know what Mark and Fernando would order."

"We'll have a proper lunch before we leave, Your Highness, me and you. You have my word."  _Unless you'd rather have dinner and make a date of it. I'll leave that up to you._

Nico took a step away, leaving Lewis's arm to drop to his side, and failed to look nearly as stern as he intended to be. "Oh?"

"Yeah. If you want. You pick and I'll pay, but it's not like a..." Lewis looked down, suddenly finding the laces of his trainers the most interesting thing in the world and not daring to meet Nico's eyes. "One of those awkward things."

Nico laughed nervously. "Not one of those is probably for the best. Tell me where and when and I'll be there."

"Was a date." Seeing it was approaching dusk, Kimi took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket then rubbed his eyes. "Call it what it is."

"Was not. I owe one of my best mates a nice meal." Lewis heaved an exasperated sigh. "Let's just find some dinner and forget this conversation."

"Come off it, Kimi. What's got you so interested in everyone's love lives anyway?" Nico wrinkled his nose at an ad for an obviously lowbrow Chinese buffet that offered takeout. "China Wok. Jenson, I found one. Happy now?"

Kimi mumbled something unintelligible that might have been in Finnish, causing Nico to tilt his head to one side. "What was that?"

"In English, I want you idiots to be happy, for sure. Can we eat?"

Jenson glanced at the screen and gave a thumbs up. "Fried rice, here I come! Boys, to the wok!"

"Sometimes I wonder what I did to get myself into this and then I remember," said Nico to no one in particular as they began walking the five blocks to the restaurant. "I auditioned for it."

Later on, having had far too many helpings of beef and broccoli and sat through several insistences of "just one more sugar covered doughnut!" from both Sebastian and Lewis, they piled into two taxis bound for the Four Seasons where they were to meet up with Mark, Fernando, and their luggage.

"I love this song! Could you turn it up, please?" Lewis asked the driver, who cranked up the volume just in time for the voice of Adele to belt from the speakers. "Never mind, I'll find someone like you, I wish nothing but the best for you tooooo...come on, Nico, you know this one! Sing along! Kimi, you too!"

Nico sank into the middle of the backseat with a groan. "Lewis, do you remember the first song you told me you learned on the piano?"

"Yeah, this one."

"And how many times did you play it before I begged you to learn any other song from Adele's discography?"

Lewis pursed his lips and looked contemplative while humming along with the music. "At least fifty if not more."

"I rest my case."

"The cover of Lovesong was better anyway," Kimi added, shrugging while Lewis looked on in shock. "Is not bad but...eh."

"It's a  _great_ song. The next time I'm at the piano I might play it again just for you, Nico. What d'you think about that?"

Before he could respond, Kimi cut in again. "I think I should lend him some earplugs."

If looks could kill, the steely glare Nico directed at Kimi would have done so in an instant. "That's against what Toto always told us about working together and you know it. No harsh insults. Geez, Kimi, what if the press found out? The fans? It wouldn't look good for any of us."

"It was a  _joke,_ Nico. Relax." Kimi chuckled. "You really think I'm stupid enough to say Lewis isn't talented? You'd have me on my ass."

Nico's hand unconsciously came to rest on Lewis's arm. "Just a warning."

"It's all right," whispered Lewis, bringing his other hand over to cover Nico's. "I can fight my own battles. Really."

The scowl on Nico's face became a sheepish smile as they looked in each other's eyes. "What are friends for?"

A few cars behind them, while stuck at a red light with a steady stream of pedestrians crossing the street, Sebastian had begun to lose the fight against jet lag. "Need sleep..." he mumbled, leaning back against the seat. "So tired."

"We're almost there," Jenson assured him. "Can't be much further as soon as the bloody traffic moves. This might actually be worse than London. I didn't think it was possible!"

Sebastian yawned and rubbed his eyes with his fists, looking for all the world like a child about to insist to his parents that he was most definitely not sleepy and should in fact be allowed to stay up half an hour longer. "I'm trying to stay awake but it's not work..." His voice trailed off as he yawned so loudly the driver took a bemused glance in his rearview mirror. "Not working."

Jenson reached over and slowly raked his fingers through Sebastian's dark blonde curls, enjoying the quiet sigh he got in return. "You look pretty well knackered. It's pajamas and chamomile tea for you as soon as possible, eh, kid?"

Sebastian stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. "Kid? We're only seven and a half years apart. What kind of nickname is that?"

"One you seem to tolerate more than Sebby."

"I bloody hate being called Sebby and you know it."

"I was only illustrating a point," laughed Jenson. "You can stop pouting now, regardless of how cute it is."  _Nice going, JB,_ he thought. _Insert foot fully into mouth._

"Cute?" Sebastian tilted his head to one side and thought for a moment. "No."

"And here I was thinking you'd be offended at the suggestion of chamomile. I prefer green myself."

The pout returned then andJenson cursed himself for wanting to kiss it away. "It's like champagne, it's a girl's drink. Black tea or a beer after a day like this."

"It's a scientific fact that tea can fix even the worst of days. Did you know that?"

"I don't believe you."

"If anyone knows tea, it's going to be an Englishman. Trust me, Seb."

"Aha! Never trust anyone who says trust me!" Sebastian retorted.

"I thought you were tired." Jenson watched as Sebastian's expression twisted further in a vain attempt to conceal a yawn without opening his mouth. "Nice try. Not too far gone to argue, then."

"I got a second wind." Sebastian covered his mouth with one hand and yawned. "I'm fine."

_Awwwwww,_ thought Jenson, noting how often Sebastian's eyes had closed a moment then snapped open again as they talked.  _He really thinks I can't tell. Poor guy. I'm not so sure he's going to make it after all._

"Seb, if you need to rest a bit I'll wake you when we get there. You've hardly stopped yawning the whole way." 

"No, no, I'll be--" Sebastian's words were suddenly cut short as his eyelids drooped for the last time, drifting off to sleep with his cheek pressed against the plastic upholstery.

"Fine," Jenson whispered, his fingers tangled in Sebastian's curls once again. "You're just fine, aren't you?"

They later arrived at the hotel to find Nico, Lewis, Mark, and Fernando already waiting for them, looking bemused as a groggy Sebastian eased himself out of the taxi followed by Jenson. "Sorry about that, got stuck in traffic for ages. What did we miss?"

"More than we did, it seems." Mark's voice took on the tone of a teacher who knew how to lure his students into a false sense of security to get them to confess they'd broken the rules. "I thought we were all supposed to have dinner together but something rather strange happened when Nano and I got to the restaurant. We asked for our table for seven and for some reason I'm sure you'll tell me later there was a reservation for two. Well played."

Lewis's and Nico's eyes widened in shock. "R-really?"

"We're not dead," Jenson whispered to Sebastian. "I can't believe we're not dead."

"Mit ä helvetti ä ?" said Kimi.

"You look surprised we had a nice evening out." Mark put his arm around Fernando and gently rubbed the side of his neck, making him giggle helplessly. "Thanks for the bubbles too. Can't imagine what that must have cost you boys."

"You don't want to know," muttered Nico. 

"Am sorry you missed it, boys." Fernando giggled again as he leaned into Mark's touch. "Maybe next time."

Sebastian stuck his finger in his mouth and pretended to gag. "Come on, let's get checked in."

Jenson turned toward the door then waved to Mark and Fernando as he went past the doorman and inside followed by Kimi, Lewis, Nico, and Sebastian. "See you two later!"

"Mr. Button." The woman behind the front desk gave him a knowing smile. "We've been expecting you. Are they here?"

"Yeah, they'll be along in a minute." Jenson nodded toward the door. "All going according to plan like you, me, and Seb talked about?"

"Deluxe suite with a beautiful view." She glanced at her screen then smiled up at them. "Excellent choice for romance. I'll check you all in now as quickly as possible so you'll be gone and they'll be none the wiser. I must admit I've never done this sort of thing before. It's rather exciting."

"What on earth?" asked Lewis.

She mimed zipping her lips shut. "I'm afraid that's confidential, Mr. Hamilton. I swore I wouldn't tell. Now, one at a time, let's get you all on your way..."

The five of them quickly signed their check-in papers and were given their room keys as the door swung open for Mark and Fernando. "Elevators to your left and checkout is 11am. Enjoy your stay and good luck!"

Jenson gave her a thumbs-up and a grin before leading the way through the lobby. "Cheers, Lee!"

She watched them leave with a smile then turned her attention to Mark and Fernando. "Good evening and welcome to the Four Seasons. How can I help you?"

"We need to check in, please. Last name Alonso."

"Or Webber," Mark piped up next to him. "We had a bit of confusion with our restaurant reservation earlier so we're covering all the bases from now on. Thought there would be seven of us but it turned out to be two."

"Oh dear. That sounds a bit unfortunate."  _Or would be if it wasn't so sweet,_ she thought, remembering when Jenson and Sebastian had called to ask for the room last week.

"Was not so bad," Fernando winked at Mark and they exchanged sheepish grins.

_Sebastian wasn't kidding. They're not even paying attention to me right now._

"Your room's on the fifth floor. One of our nicest suites," she informed the two of them in a gentle Scottish accent as she slid a pair of room keys across the desk. "Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything. Checkout time is 11am. Enjoy your stay."

Mark and Fernando each took one with a smile. "One of the best?" Fernando asked, putting his in the pocket of his hoodie. "The label must really love us. What have we done right?"

Mark chuckled. "Well, we've managed to shepherd our charges to over a dozen countries and counting without getting arrested, deported, or detained for trying to bring home an oversized stuffed lion from the San Diego Zoo. I'd say we're a success, Fonz."

"Is still on the floor by the shelf in my room guarding everything I bring back from Japan. Maybe he wants to be a samurai too."

"Only room for one, mate. Let's go." Mark walked toward the bank of elevators at the back of the lobby, swinging his left arm a little behind himself for Fernando to catch his hand with his own. "I'd say let's take the stairs but I'd rather be lazy for now. I feel like I could sleep for days."

"Me too." Fernando looked down at their clasped hands and smiled to himself at how his fingers disappeared in between Mark's.  _A perfect fit_ , he thought as the image of his head tucked neatly under Mark's chin in the midst of a warm embrace formed in his mind. He didn't even need to look at him to know it worked--he'd lost track of how many times the scene had played out before with occasional changes of setting and amount of clothes each of them had on. The ending, however, was always the same. Mark's lips would graze his ear and he'd hear a whispered "I need you, Nano" that made him shiver in the best way possible, leaving goosebumps on his arms and a soft moan on the tip of his tongue that called for as cold a shower as his body could tolerate until he felt like himself again. No matter how ready to move forward the rest of him seemed to be, there would be no forcing his heart to cross that line with Mark until the time was right. Or until he somehow managed to get drunk or jet-lagged enough to not be afraid of the aftermath, whichever came first.

Mark pressed the button for the fifth floor and several seconds later the elevator doors slid open with a faint  _ding._ "Going up!" He grinned broadly at Fernando. "I've a feeling I'm gonna get a punch in the arm for this, but...allons-y, Alonso!"

Fernando stepped ahead of him and pulled him by the hand into the elevator as the doors slid closed then grinned back and landed a firm punch on Mark's bicep. "Am sorry but you deserved it."

"I couldn't resist. The look on your face was pretty priceless."

"You mean this one?" Fernando folded his arms and looked indignantly straight ahead but couldn't quite keep a smile from appearing.

"That's the one. What a fearsome little Spanish lion," Mark teased. "Should I be scared?"

Fernando collapsed into giggles, his forehead coming to rest on Mark's shoulder as he tried to recover. "Si!" he choked out. "Very afraid."

"Hard to be afraid of you when you do that, Nano." Mark smiled down at him. "Lion cub, more like."

Fernando lifted his head as the elevator opened at the fifth floor, giving Mark another mostly failed attempt at being annoyed by his teasing. "Rawr."

"When you embrace your nickname  _that_ much you need rest!" Mark stepped out of the elevator then pushed the button to hold the door a moment longer and pulled Fernando out by the hand just as they slid closed again, their laughter echoing up and down the empty corridor.

They found their room easily, being the only one with suitcases on both sides of the door, and Fernando slid his key in and out of the lock several times until the light above it flashed green. "Never get it on the first try."

Mark picked up one of his bags. "Me either, mate."

Fernando opened the door and both of them were immediately rendered speechless. The room was the size of both their bedrooms at home combined, each of the chairs had a throw pillow artfully tucked into one corner, and the curtains were pulled back from either side of the window that occupied almost an entire wall to reveal a view of the city skyline against a clear late evening sky. A short hallway led off of the living room to what Mark assumed was the bathroom and against the wall opposite the door was a single king size bed.  _This has to be too good to be true,_ he thought.  _I can't be here with, let's face it, the one man I could consider spending my life with in a room like this just because the record executives decided to treat us. I can't be._

"Nano?"

"Si?"

"It's beautiful here, it really is..." Mark took a deep breath to steady himself. "But I'm not sure we were supposed to be in this room tonight."

Fernando watched the stars gradually appear in the darkening sky and smiled. "Am not sure either. We got very lucky, I think."

"No, Nano." He turned toward Fernando and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I don't think this was a happy accident. We've been set up. The label didn't plan this. I didn't plan this. I didn't plan dinner."

Fernando's smile fell away in an instant and the light in his eyes was gone. "Why are you saying this?"

"Remember when I said before dinner I thought we'd been set up?"

"Yes. I thought you were joking to cover up that you and the guys had done something special for our friendship and I was so happy." Fernando's voice wavered as he spoke. "I did not want to think otherwise."

"I didn't. That's part of the truth of the matter."

"Please let me go for a minute." Fernando felt as if he'd been hit squarely in the chest and tried to move out of Mark's grip to no avail even as his fingers grasped him tighter. "Please."

"Not until you hear the other part, which is what I said after that. 'Not that I wouldn't.' I  _would_ . Nano, if this is what you want when we go on tour I'll do it. If this is what you want when we're at home I'll do it. I'll make the reservations myself. We could find somewhere like this in London and spend the night. We could spend the weekend if we've got the time." He paused and ran his hand over his face in frustration. "Fuck, I'm babbling on. I'm sorry. The point is this time we've been given these things, but the next time and all the times after I'd happily give them to you myself."

"Te amo, Mark," Fernando whispered. "Siempre."

"Did you say something?"

_Is no better time than this one,_ he thought, hearing his heart pounding in his ears and feeling so dizzy from Mark's promises that he was no longer certain he hadn't had just one glass of champagne at dinner. Placing his hand on the back of Mark's neck for balance, he stood on tiptoe and brought his mouth up to meet his in a gentle kiss. "Te amo," he repeated loud enough for Mark to hear. "Siempre. Can't keep it from you anymore. It hurts too much. But now I've told you and it feels better already."

Mark's hands moved slowly to encircle Fernando's waist and pulled him flush against his chest, returning the kiss with a brief one of his own. "I think I might know, but I want to hear it from you anyway. What does?" 

"My heart." Fernando's fingers moved to run through Mark's hair. "Have been too scared to say because I was not sure if you wanted the same thing. I never wanted to risk what we already have."

"And all the while I was scared of making you uncomfortable if I said I wanted to be with you." Mark shook his head and laughed at himself. "Fonz, we're a couple of teenagers. For all I know you're about to hold my hand and ask me to go steady. Before too long I'll be carrying your books to school."

Fernando gave a sleepy smile, the tiring rush of travel beginning to override the exhilaration he felt otherwise, and rested his cheek on Mark's chest. "No," he murmured. "Was going to ask if we can go to sleep together."

Mark kissed the top of Fernando's head before resting his chin on it. "Of course. We'll bother with unpacking tomorrow. Let's just get our luggage in here and get ready for bed. Oh, and Nano?"

"Si?"

"I bloody love you." 

A while later, once they'd settled under the covers in the center of the bed, Fernando wiggled into a position that pressed his back against Mark's chest and covered the lower half of Mark's face in his hair. "Es perfecto," he sighed.

"Clearly someone enjoys being the little spoon here." Mark wrapped one arm around Fernando's hips and took his hand in his own. "I don't mind it. Any of it. I was almost going to be upset with our work children that they meddled in our lives to this extent but I'm the happiest I've ever been. You?"

_God, I'm going to have to thank them in the morning, aren't I?_ he thought.  _I can practically hear the smugness from Jenson already. If Lewis Snapchats this I might leave him here._

"Me too. Everything happens for a reason but is hard to see sometimes until is right in front of you." Fernando yawned and closed his eyes. "I love you, Mark. Good night."

"I love you, Fonz. Sleep well."

As he watched Fernando drifting off in his embrace, Mark knew he couldn't have been more right.

 


End file.
